Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Ma Tie, Ma Xiu, and Ma Dai stood behind him like a towering wall, arms crossed, expressions a perfect blend of disappointment, worry, and anger barely being held back. Their silence alone thundered louder than any scolding words could. Ma Yunlu blinked, then took another small sip of tea.

Ma Yunlu blinked, then took another small sip of tea.

Zhao Yun, sensing this conversation would become explosive, discreetly placed his hand behind her back in case his wife tried something like standing up to excuse herself.

Ma Chao took a deep breath and then unleashed the full force of a worried older brother.

”I told you, explicitly told you! You were not to travel far until after the child is born! And yet you rode from Xiapi to Yuzhang! Xiapi to Yuzhang, Yunlu! That’s practically a long distance to travel through!”

Ma Tie finally spoke, his deep voice like rolling thunder.

”You should have informed us.”

Ma Xiu’s tone was gentler but carried equal weight.

”We were nearly speechless when we heard the news.”

Ma Dai added bluntly, ”Nearly? I think Brother Ma Chao nearly fainted.”

”I did not faint!” Ma Chao snapped.

Ma Yunlu giggled softly.

Ma Chao glared. ”Do not ’giggle’ your way out of this!”

She straightened her posture slightly, though still relaxed, tea cup in hand, and looked up at the four towering men with the serene expression of a woman who knew she was in trouble, yet fully prepared to charm her way through it.

”Brothers,” she said sweetly, ”must you scold me before even saying hello?”

Silence.

Then Ma Chao sighed, defeated. ”Fine. Hello.”

The others murmured greetings as well, though begrudgingly.

Satisfied, Ma Yunlu nodded. ”Hello.”

But Ma Chao wasn’t done, not even close.

He stepped forward until he stood right before his sister, arms folded so tightly they nearly cracked.

”You cannot do this, Yunlu.” His voice softened, but only slightly. ”You are pregnant. You should be resting. Had something happened on the way, had bandits attacked, or your carriage broken, or the weather turned—”

Zhao Yun cleared his throat respectfully.

”I made sure nothing would happen, Brother in law.”

Ma Chao turned his gaze to him. Not hostile, never hostile, but sharp with the stern protective intensity of a brother.

”Zilong,” he said with a long sigh. ”Why? Why did you let her come? You of all people should have stopped her.”

Zhao Yun looked like a man who had already experienced this interrogation a dozen times on the journey.

With a wry smile, he bowed slightly.

”Believe me, I tried. Many times. I refused at first. I told her clearly she could not travel such a distance. But...”

He hesitated.

Ma Chao narrowed his eyes. ”But what?”

Zhao Yun looked briefly at his wife, who was trying her best to appear entirely innocent.

”But... Princess Wannian and His Highness Crown Prince Muchen suddenly decided to travel as well,” Zhao Yun explained. ”And they intended to come here in full procession, for the wedding.”

Ma Chao froze.

Ma Tie, Ma Xiu, and Ma Dai exchanged looks.

Zhao Yun continued, helpless.

”Once Princess Wannian announced she would personally attend Lady Sun Shangxiang’s wedding as a friend... Yunlu insisted it would only be right for her to accompany her.”

Ma Yunlu lowered her eyes humbly, as if this were the most reasonable thing on earth.

”And since both the imperial princess and the Crown Prince were traveling,” Zhao Yun added, ”I could hardly allow Yunlu to travel alone, nor could I refuse outright and risk leaving the princess and Crown Prince without a protector. So I chose to accompany them all, with a full guard.”

Ma Chao pressed both palms on his forehead.

”So... let me understand... Princess Wannian decides to make a sudden imperial visit, Muchen follows because he is devoted to family duty... and then you Yunlu, began packing your luggage?”

Ma Yunlu nodded. ”Yes.”

”And when I explicitly forbade you from traveling, you...?”

”Asked Princess Wannian to let me accompany her.”

”You used the Imperial Princess as a shield?”

Ma Yunlu smiled. ”A friend.”

Ma Tie muttered under his breath, ”A shield.”

Ma Dai coughed into his fist. ”A very powerful, emperor backed shield.”

Zhao Yun let out a defeated exhale. ”I should have known then that resisting would be impossible.”

Ma Chao threw his arms up.

”Of course it was impossible! Even I would not have dared to stop Princess Wannian!”

The four brothers understood immediately. If Wannian moved, nothing would stop her, least of all a pregnant sister determined to follow.

Which meant...

Ma Chao slumped into a seat opposite his sister.

”So you tricked us.”

Ma Yunlu gasped softly, hand to her chest. ”Brother! I would never trick you.”

”You lied by omission.”

”I simply did not speak before I left,” she corrected.

”That is the same thing!”

She took another sip of tea.

Zhao Yun sat beside her, shoulders sinking slightly as if bracing himself for the next scolding volley.

Ma Chao leaned forward, his voice gentler now, not soft, but aching with genuine concern.

”Yunlu... listen to me.” He lifted a hand, struggling to keep his tone steady. ”You are our only sister. Our precious sister. And you are carrying a child. My nephew or niece. Our family’s next generation. I cannot,bwe cannot,ballow you to put yourself in danger. Do you understand?”

Ma Tie nodded firmly. ”Your well being is our priority.”

Ma Xiu added, ”We worry, Yunlu. We always have.”

Ma Dai finished softly, ”Please think of the child.”

Ma Yunlu’s smile faltered slightly, not from guilt, but from feeling the weight of their sincerity. She lowered her eyes, gently touching her rounded belly.

”...I know,” she whispered. ”I know you all worry.”

Zhao Yun’s hand found hers, intertwining their fingers gently.

She exhaled before looking up again, meeting their eyes with clear sincerity.

”I only wanted to see Big Brother’s wedding. I wanted to be here for Shangxiang. And... being so far from home, from family... sometimes it is hard. But seeing all of you again...” She smiled softly, almost wistfully. ”It was worth the journey.”

The four men exhaled, some in frustration, some in relief.

Ma Chao’s expression softened fully now. He reached out and placed a large, warm hand on the top of her head exactly as he had done since she was a little girl.

”You silly girl...” he whispered. ”Just promise us. Promise us you won’t do something like this again.”

Ma Yunlu looked at the faces of her brothers, their stern brows, their tired worry, their fierce love.

Then she nodded.

”I promise.”

The air seemed to loosen with that single sentence. Zhao Yun also let out a breath he had been holding.

Ma Chao leaned back and finally let himself relax.

”Good. Because if you break that promise, even Zilong won’t save you.”

Zhao Yun straightened. ”I would certainly try.”

Ma Tie snorted. ”You would fail.”

Ma Dai chuckled. ”Spectacularly.”

Even Ma Yunlu giggled again.

The tension dissolved, replaced with warmth that echoed the soft rustle of bamboo leaves around them. The koi pond glimmered, a dragonfly dancing across its surface.

This, family together, bickering and reconciling, was a sight worth every mile of the journey.

Ma Chao stood, exhaling deeply. ”Since you’re already here... we might as well make sure you enjoy it. But you are not walking anywhere alone. Ever.”

Ma Yunlu raised a brow. ”Even to the garden?”

”Especially to the garden.”

Zhao Yun quietly accepted his new life of being triple supervised.

Ma Tie asked, ”Have you eaten? We can have food delivered.”

Ma Yunlu shook her head. ”Not yet.”

”We’ll have the kitchen prepare something nourishing,” Ma Xiu said.

”And no sweets,” Ma Dai added.

Ma Yunlu pouted.

Zhao Yun smiled at her softly. ”I will sneak you a sweet rice cake later.”

Ma Yunlu brightened immediately.

Her brothers groaned simultaneously.

Ma Chao waved his hand. ”Fine, fine. But only after she eats proper food.”

As arrangements were made and servants rushed to accommodate the Ma family reunion, Sun Shangxiang appeared from down the corridor with two maids behind her. The moment she spotted Ma Yunlu on the porch surrounded by four glowering brothers and one helpless husband, she burst into laughter.

”Oh heavens, I should have bet money on this scene,” she said as she approached. ”I knew they would swarm you.”

Ma Yunlu lifted her chin proudly. ”I handled it.”

”Barely,” Zhao Yun murmured.

She nudged him discreetly.

Sun Shangxiang clasped Ma Yunlu’s hands warmly. ”I’m glad you came. Truly.”

Ma Yunlu squeezed back. ”I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything.”

From behind, Ma Chao pretended not to listen, but he was smiling faintly.

The courtyard, once tense and heavy with worry, now thrummed with warmth, chatter, and reunited affection. Servants brought trays of light food, tea was refilled, and the breeze carried the scent of lotus flowers from the nearby garden.

And before long—

The Sun mansion, already bustling for the wedding preparations, gained yet another undercurrent of celebration.

After that, festivities thrummed through Yuzhang like a heartbeat.

Four full days had passed since Princess Wannian, Crown Prince Lie Muchen, Ma Yunlu, and Zhao Yun arrived, four days filled with weaving lanterns, draping silks across the Sun compound, hanging banners from one end of the city to the other, and musicians practicing from sunrise to dusk.

The entire province felt different, brighter, more alive, as though the air itself had been stirred by some auspicious wind. Even the weather cooperated, no storms, no clouds, only a gentle warmth that kept the city glowing.

It wasn’t just any wedding. It was Ma Chao and Sun Shangxiang’s long awaited union.

A hero of Liang. A jewel of Jiangdong.

And because Lie Fan had personally acted as matchmaker, the wedding wasn’t merely a celebration, it was a political anchor point, a symbol that tied the Hengyuan Dynasty and the Sun Clan into a deeper bond than ever before. So naturally, wedding gifts poured into the Sun estate like a river after rain.

From former generals. From scholars. From wealthy merchants. From local nobles eager to curry favor.

But none compared, none could compare, to Lie Fan’s.

The servants who handled the boxes had whispered for three straight days. Crates of luminous jade, some carved, some raw but flawless, gleamed like frozen moonlight. Jewelry studded with rubies and sapphires brightened entire rooms. Pearls from the southern seas, round as teardrops and shimmering with soft rainbow halos, drew gasps even from seasoned jewelers.

Then came the weapons.

Blades folded over a thousand times. Spears made with reinforced steel cores. Bows polished to a stunning sheen.

And the horses, twelve in total, were so powerful and magnificent that even Sun Ce admitted he wanted one for himself.

Finally, the chest containing one hundred thousand taels of silver nearly broke the floor when it was carried in. Sun Jian, upon seeing it, could only exhale deeply and mutter, ”That boy is richer than half the province.”

The servants laughed. The Sun brothers laughed. Even Lady Wu, usually composed, hid a smile behind her sleeve.

The gift wasn’t just generosity, it was a statement.

Hengyuan is prosperous. Trade is booming. Bandits are nearly nonexistent. And Lie Fan had wealth to spare because he had built a world where prosperity flowed. But beneath the golden festivities, a darker undercurrent simmered, one only Lie Fan could see clearly.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 35 (202 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0